From 14 to 17 June 2013, the Indian state of Uttarakhand received heavy rainfall.

This caused the melting of Chorabri Glacier at the height of 3800 metres, and eruption of the Mandakini River which led to heavy floods near Gobindghat, Kedarnath,Rudraprayag district, Himachal Pradesh and Western Nepal, and acute rainfall in other nearby regions of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Tibet.

Warnings by the Indian Meteorological Department predicting heavy rains were not given wide publicity beforehand, causing thousands of people to be caught unaware, resulting in huge loss of life and property.

Roads destabilising mountains. Heavy machines plying on the hills and the increasing stress on infrastructure makes mountains fragile. Poorly planned dams.

To prevent humongous damage from the floods and reduce risk we present the following measures:

1. The national water policy of 2012 states that flood forecasting is very important for flood preparedness and should be expanded extensively, modernized using real time data acquisition system and linked to forecasting models. Therefore, timely information on the monsoons and detailed weather forecasts by the MET department will result in better preparedness for floods.

2. Need of preparation in case of sudden and unexpected flood related disasters is necessary. The following steps can be taken by the government: A. Awareness should be spread about floods, the damage it can cause and the insurance people need. B. The government should invest in permanent protection like raising the foundations of houses in highly flood prone areas to a height well above anticipated flood levels. C. Storage of food and other essential supplies in case of emergencies.

3. Evacuation of residents should be planned in case of extreme conditions.

While all of these alternatives are costly, they will definitely reduce the risk and extent of future flood damage.

The responsibility for Disaster Management in Indias federal system is that of the State Government. Therefore, the government of Uttarakhand should have imposed an ordinance stating that there is an Emergency within the state that requires the full attention of all government departments, NGOs and also, the citizens on the 16th of June.

The Central Government is responsible for providing aid and assistance to the affected state, as may be needed, including the deploying, at the States request, of Armed Forces, Central Paramilitary Forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and such communication, air and other assets, as are available and needed. Therefore, the state of Uttarakhand should have asked for: A. Loans to provide food to victims. B. The help of the National Disaster Response Force should have been asked so that temporary shelters could be built for all displaced locals and tourists stuck in various regions.

The Central Governments move to bring in the Armed Forces was right as our Jawans were successful in rescuing most of the stranded people.

The government should start to carefully monitor: A. the number of pilgrims/ tourists visiting the state. B. should keep checks on legal and illegal buildings. Furthermore, checks should be kept on the height of the building, also, the number of people allowed to reside in it.